Tuesday, February 17, 2009

the origins of maoiliosa



if there's one thing i get asked the most since i opened my business and called it 'maoiliosa', it's "what the heck is a 'maoiliosa'?". well, i'll tell you!

'maoiliosa' (pronounced 'mow-lee-oh-sah' or 'male-lee-oh-sah') is roughly the irish gaelic equivalent to 'melissa'. my beloved great-grandmother baldwin, who passed away when i was a teenager, not only gave me her part-irish ancestry, but also boasted that the family had japanese blood (this one is still up for dispute). she avidly collected japanese items, and when she died, the items went to me. as we both had shared a love of a good story (i've got some good ones!), being crafty, and all things japanese, as well as redish hair (a trait not common in the family), i always felt a close bond to my great-grandmother, and in honour of her, i took up the moniker 'maoiliosa' to commemorate the irish roots i got from her.

thus, while the name 'maoiliosa' isn't the least bit japanese, i feel a special connection with it, and i'm happy to use the name for my japanese-inspired brand. it's my hope that my great-grandmother would be proud of me for everything i have accomplished, and that she would adore the items i create, as she so loved japanese items.

so that's the story of that :). now you know!

♥,
melissa

4 comments:

Tizzalicious said...

I am sure she would be proud of you!

maoiliosa said...

awww thanks tizz :)

FromJapanWithLove said...

Thanks for sharing! I love hearing stories like this! I actually wanted to name one of my businesses after my grandmother or something that reminded me of her but it just didn't work out that way for me. Glad it did for you!

maoiliosa said...

that's sweet, sofia :).